Main navigation

Top 10 Places to Buy Refurbished Android Phones

Android smartphones are amazing and all, but not everyone is able to afford the top of the line smartphones. That’s right, not everyone is going to overshoot and get a Samsung Galaxy S7 on contract. Some people like to wait for the inevitable price drop. Others yet choose to get refurbished Android phones.

Both are perfectly reasonable ways to shave a significant amount off of the official retail price. For example, I can easily spot a refurbished Android phone for around 100 dollars less than the one considered “new”.

What Is A Refurbished Phone Anyway?

Well, a refurbished phone is one that has been returned to the manufacturer or a mobile phone repair shop, fixed and restored to its original specifications. A refurbished phone should, in all aspects, work in exactly the same way as a new one.

Why Should You Buy One?

There are a number of reasons to opt for a refurbished smartphone. Here are a few good ones:

A new phone will be considered used tomorrow. Once you send your first text or make your first call with a brand new phone, that phone will no longer be considered new.

A phone that is in any way considered used is priced, on average, at 33% lower than a ‘Brand New’ cell phone.

Most of the top selling retailers merchandising new, never opened phones online are actually selling you refurbished phones, but labeling them ‘Brand New’ for more money. And this works because most people can’t easily tell the difference.

With a refurbished phone, you no longer need to be entrenched into long contracts!

So from where you can get a great refurbished Android smartphone? Well, we have selected 10 reliable places to buy refurbished Android phones!

1. Amazon

Amazon.com is one of the largest online markets in the world and it’s no wonder that they carry refurbished electronics. Head over to the site, navigate to the electronics section and select Cell Phones. From there all you need to do is check the refurbished box located on the condition panel.

You will immediately see a ton of smartphones and smartphone accessories that are available at a considerably lower price point. You can easily refine the search by selecting Android from the Operating System panel and you are good to go.

One of the best things about Amazon is that they deliver goods really fast and have a great setup for refunds. Another good thing is the sheer variety of the smartphones that have in stock. And lastly, you can read the customer reviews about the product directly on the site.

2. Overstock

This is another great place to seek out refurbished Android phones online. Overstock may not carry a lot of variety but they certainly have some of the best prices there are. If you are looking for a mid-range Android smartphone, Overstock is a must place to visit.

Slightly older smartphones are available at great prices there and the site is also shipping internationally, so you can even get the phones delivered in the UK as well. The only negative thing about this site that I can find is the lack of any latest smartphones.

If you are in search for a freshly launched flagship at a discount, this is not the best site for that. You can also check out great user reviews that can help you decide with ease.

3. Walmart

I only like to list stores that at least have a fairly OK return policy, this is exactly why Walmart is on the list. I highly recommend going to the physical store for all of your refurbished Android phone purchases simply because you can actually check the phone out before purchase.

But if you are stuck at home and need to get an inexpensive refurbished Android phone, Walmart is one of the best places there is. There are a ton of smartphones available at the store but some of them carry an oddly high price tag.

For example, I spotted a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge going for 700 dollars which was, quite frankly, insane. Other smartphones were priced really well so I gave that one strange pricing a go.

4. Newegg

Newegg is one of the best sites to get PC components. I’ve ordered some stuff from them and my personal experience has been great. Almost every US-based PC gamer I know likes Newegg, especially when they are selling stuff on sale. So it’s no wonder that I included this site on the 10 places to buy refurbished Android phones.

The smartphone variety may not be as large as Amazon, but the company policies are very consumer friendly. Even if you are looking for an older Android smartphone at a discount, this is one of the few sites that deliver quality goods.

5. BestBuy

There is no denying that BestBuy is among the handful of large retail stores in the USA. This also means they have a lot of refurbished smartphones in their inventory. Want to get the new Nexus 6p for as low as 370 dollars?

You can easily do that here.

The site has some of the cheapest refurbished smartphones in stock and they even do free shipping. The prices are genuinely great and I found myself spending an unnecessarily long time simply salivating for smartphones that I do not need. If you have a store nearby, I highly recommend going to it before looking elsewhere.

6. EBay

I’m not totally comfortable recommending eBay simply because of all the horror stories we have seen on Reddit. But at the same time, this is one of the best places to buy refurbished Android phones. If you are a savvy eBay shopper, then you probably know which seller is reliable by looking at the reviews and ratings.

If you are starting new, simply look for sellers that have sold multiple units and have a top-rated seller badge and you will be fine. A general rule of thumb is to avoid new sellers. And remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

7. AT&T

AT&T has a thriving refurbished smartphone section and you can get them on contract as well. Generally, I purchase my smartphones fully unlocked because I don’t want to be bound to a certain carrier. But if you are a satisfied AT&T customer, you should also take a look at what they have on offer.

I’ll be honest here, some of the smartphones are a little on the expensive side, especially when you consider the overall payment. If you are short on cash and need a great refurbished Android phone as soon as possible, it is a great idea to opt for a contract. They also have free shipping and an almost no hassle return policy.

8. T-Mobile

T-Mobile also carries a large variety of smartphones. This is on the list because; I have liked the exclusive smartphones T-Mobile carries and they are hard to come by anywhere else. Another good reason to visit their store is the prices.

You can get most of the smartphones at a flat price upfront or opt for a 2-year contract. Having multiple options is always great. The store also carries pre-owned T-Mobile smartphones at a discount as well if you are not interested in an almost new refurbished smartphone. If you are already using T-Mobile as your main carrier, it’s a great store to visit.

9. Samsung

Samsung carries refurbished smartphones themselves. I know, Android is not just Samsung but it is hard to deny that they are the biggest Android manufacturer in the world. Chances are if you are interested in Android smartphones, you are also interested in Samsung.

A point to be noted here is that you won’t be able to get the latest smartphones, at least there were none to be found on the US based store. So if you are looking for slightly older, refurbished Samsung phones from different carriers, this is a good place to look.

10. The Local Market

This option is one of my personal favorites. Sure, the prices will be around 5 to 10 dollars higher than the websites but that is a small price to pay for the physical inspection. Say what you want about the convenience of online shopping, but it can’t beat the benefits of actually checking out a product before purchase.

If you are getting a brand new smartphone, it is OK to shop online because you will get a pristine condition smartphone. But when you are shopping for a refurbished smartphone, it is better to inspect the phone yourself before you pay a handsome amount of money. So, visit the local electronics stores if you are unsure of refurbished smartphones.

Conclusion

These were some of the best places to buy refurbished Android phones if you happen to reside in the states. I highly recommend that you try to visit as many places as you can before finalizing a single smartphone.

If you have any questions about the smartphones or the websites listed here, feel free to leave a comment below.

What do you think of buying Samsung Certified Refurbished phones? They have a whole section on the Samsung site with refurbished phones. I would think if Samsung is refurbishing them themselves, I’d think they’d do a better job of keeping them like-new than anyone else. But maybe I’m naive?

Hi Jim,
I think that there’s nothing wrong with buying a refurbished phone off ebay or any other site as long as the seller has good feedback and states that you can return time item if it turns out to be faulty. I have heard similar comments from users saying that Samsung should concentrate on improving their phones instead of releasing so many models, but that is a very subjective topic. What kind of Android device do you have?

That may be true about Samsung– they do release a lot of models. I wasn’t talking about buying off eBay, though, I was specifically thinking of buying from Samsung itself– somewhere on the samsung.com site they actually sell certified phones themselves. I’m not sure if this is a new thing for Samsung; I don’t recall seeing it last time I was Android shopping.

Hi Jim,
I actually had a look at Samsung´s refurbished phones and if my memory serves me right I saw an S5 there. If I were to buy one, I would definitely get it from Samsung themselves. I am not sure how long they have been doing this, but the good thing is that they are now. Samsung is obviously a reliable source if you are thinking of getting one. Are you interested in a particular model?

Someone cautioned me against buying a refurbished phone from an online seller like Amazon or ebay because there is no warranty. Is that something I should be concerned about? Are there any sellers who do offer a warranty?

Yes you can buy a Unboxing as they are quite pocket friendly. I can suggest few websites from which you can buy desired smartphones in your budget.
1) Overcart.com
2) Gobol.in
3) Togofogo.com
4) Shopclues.in

I was a customer of TMOBILE for about 12 years. A few years ago, I bought a Galaxy S5. I always got the warranty, but I never had to use it. Is it correct that the carriers or the warranty companies replace your phone with a refurbished phone? I hear that is standard practice? Every phone they sent me was broken. Something was wrong with each phone, it wouldn’t charge, wouldn’t turn off/on, etc. The 3rd phone they sent me over a 10 day period also had problems, but they were the most minimal as compared to the others. At that point, I just gave up and dealt with it.
Thoughts? Opinion? Advice?

It depends on the phone and how long it has been out. In most cases, though, it is a used and repaired phone. If the person making the claim says the phone has a cracked screen, they repair the screen, give it a once over and sent it back out. If the person didn’t say the battery wasn’t holding a charge and the speaker was blown, the insurance company might not catch it before it’s sent out to the next person.